Four prison warders from the G4S-run Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein are expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court today following their arrest in connection with the death of a prisoner, Mpho Mkhumbeni. Image: Algoa FM.
(The Post News)– Four G4S correction warders who ran Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein will appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court today after being arrested over the death of a prisoner, Mpho Mkhumbeni.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele confirmed the news and asserted that following the autopsy results, the initial inquest docket was amended to one for murder. According to Makhele, the SAPS is committed to ensuring that justice is served.
Mkhumbeni, who was already doing life for murder since 2014, died in the hospital within the compound following an unlawful raid on his cell. Mkhumbeni and three other inmates were questioned, beaten, and tortured by members of the Dedicated Search Team (DST) for allegedly stealing R800 from the bag of a DST officer.
Department of Correctional Services (DCS) spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo clarified that conflicting reports about the incident prompted a comprehensive internal investigation. Nxumalo clarified that the post-mortem examination determined that death was not natural—the cause of death was blunt force injuries and exposure to pepper spray.
He further stated that the senior management did not exercise supervision before and after the raid and also did not report the alleged assault.
As investigations continue, calls for accountability within private-run correctional facilities like Mangaung—already mired in previous controversies—are growing louder. The court appearance of the four warders marks a significant step toward justice for Mkhumbeni’s death.
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